The most severe battle in the island
Due to all these reasons, the king gave up the capital city, with no intention of returning. The Dutch who were now free from whatever trouble that could come from the king, were quite happy, that the king had vacated the city.
In the month of February 1658, a convoy of ships under the leadership of Rijcklof van Goens started sailing towards Mannar. The island of Mannar belonged to the Portuguese for over a hundred years.
Until the time that Jaffna shot into prominence, Mannar was a fertile, rich place, The coastline named ‘Fishery Coast’ also belonged to Mannar. As a result, Mannar benefited by the rich resources of this area too.
After Jaffna came under Portuguese rule, the glory of Mannar diminished. After the Dutch started going about in the Indian Ocean, affairs of Mannar were neglected.
When the Dutch convoy of ships landed in Mannar, there arose strong opposition. The battle between the two powers commenced. This was supposed to be the most severe battle ever fought in the island.
By Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by Kamala Silva
Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila